Cessna 337A-RG accident near Snohomish, Washington, October 8, 1991
On October 8, 1991 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Cessna 337A-RG, registered N6396F, was substantially damaged in an accident near Snohomish, Washington (Harvey Airfield). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FUEL SYSTEM STARVATION, DUE TO THE PILOT'S IMPROPER FUEL TANK SELECTION. FACTORS INCLUDE PROCEDURES NOT BEING FOLLOWED, AND INATTENTIVENESS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1991 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Snohomish, Washington · Harvey Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 337A-RG · all 337A-RGs on the register
- Registration
- N6396F · registry record · serial 337-0396
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NEITHER THE INSTRUCTOR PILOT NOR THE STUDENT IN THE CESSNA 337 REALIZED THAT THEY HAD NOT RECONFIGURED THE FUEL SYSTEM AFTER THE LAST SIMULATED ENGINE-OUT APPROACH. THEY THEREFORE WERE FEEDING BOTH ENGINES FROM ONE TANK. WHILE PRACTICING TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. JUST AFTER THE FINAL TAKEOFF THEY EXHAUSTED THE FUEL IN THE SELECTED TANK AND, ALTHOUGH THE SELECTOR WAS THEN REPOSITIONED, WERE UNABLE TO REGAIN POWER IN TIME TO AVOID THE FORCED LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN A FIELD OF CORN ADJACENT TO THE AIRPORT.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 16 in this make and model; 265 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 9,420 as pilot in command; 7,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,900 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Continental IO-360-D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,600 ft by 30 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 75 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.